


please don't leave me

by stxvetony



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Trailer, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 09:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18134129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stxvetony/pseuds/stxvetony
Summary: It started with two men. One was life. One was death.It ended with two men. One was death and the other followed.orwhere steve and tony are reunited before they die saving each other





	please don't leave me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [choncena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/choncena/gifts).



> dedicated to choncena for making me actually have the inspiration to finish it and dealing with me spamming her about how i was bad at this ily  
> (also ty aimal for cheering me on too ily)

Steve stood there in the field, with the rest of the Avengers flanking him behind for support, and all he could do was remind himself to breathe. He wasn’t sure whether it was some new threat that they needed to be ready for, or something else. Or perhaps even, some part of him dared to hope that the ship coming down could be Tony, who vanished in space before everything exploded, and was neither confirmed to be dead or alive. The more rational part of him knew that Tony could be dead, but his heart wouldn’t stop hoping, stop believing that Tony was still out there, fighting and alive.

The last time Steve had seen Tony in person, he had been stumbling out of the bunker in Siberia, helping Bucky up next to him. And god, the pure heartbreak, the broken eyes of someone who was betrayed by someone they loved with all their heart, haunted Steve until this day. The memories had faded, but whenever Steve closed his eyes, he saw the sight when he looked back over his shoulders when neither Tony nor Bucky noticed, where Tony had learned back, hunched over himself on the ground, in the quiet resignation written all over his face that he wasn’t good enough.

It had taken all the restraint in the world for Steve to keep himself from breaking free of Bucky and take Tony with him along with them, somewhere where everything could be okay again, happy, and taking comfort in each other.

As he watched the ship land, Steve gripped the makeshift shield that T’Challa left him in Wakanda tighter, stiffening in preparation. But when the door flipped open, nothing threatening emerged, instead there was the shadow of 2 people, heavily leaning on to each other. One of them seemed to be a robot of sorts, metal covering her, but when Steve shifted his eyes to the own leaning on the other, his breath hitched, stumbling forward to lift his eyes up to one Tony Stark.

Tony lifted his head from across, a multitude of emotions flashing by like a movie, as he slipped out of the other women’s arm, tripping forward to meet Steve in the middle.

They stopped in front of each other, the tension palpable in the air as nobody dared to move. But the two of them were in their own little bubble, eyes only focused on each other as the rest of the world fell away too. Steve stood there, close to breaking, so close to just letting himself finally cry after so long, content to finally be in Tony’s waiting arms.

Steve wasn’t sure how long they were just standing there, looking at each other, soaking each other up, but also too afraid, to make the first move, too much history, too much betrayal, too little trust between the two of them.

“Steve.” Tony choked out before the two of them were falling into each other’s arms, sobbing, finally breaking after months of attempting to stay strong for everyone else around them, to attempt to survive. It was two men, who were broken apart at the seams, had a relationship in which everything seemed to be cracked, but underneath all of their problems, were two men who needed each other, where they could only be real around each other, break down, build themselves back down, and be real with each other.

They would need to face reality later. They would need to examine a look at their relationship, learn how to work together again. They don’t have trust yet, but for now, they have something more important, they care about each other, they connect with each other, understand each other,

 _And indeed, it_ **_started_ ** _with two men. One was_ **_life_ ** _. One was_ **_death_ ** _._

 

~

 

 _It_ **_ended_ ** _with two men too. One was life. One was death. But_ **_death infected both of them_ ** _until all that was left was death instead of life._

The battle was nearing its end, or so Steve thought, as their enemies began to die, largely due to Thor who was currently on a revenge scheme to kill all of them, but also, due to their new friend, Captain Marvel, as she called herself.

And sure, Steve was so grateful for their help, but as he killed another creature, the first one he succeeded in doing so for over 10 minutes, he couldn't help but feel so utterly useless, that he couldn't be the leader that they all thought he was, that _Tony_ thought he was.

And as Steve fought, he could feel his movement getting sluggish, the wound from his leg opening back up, dripping crimson blood almost like a trail behind him, marking his mistakes, his failures, his tragedy. But before he could blink, there was a flash of silver in front of him, until he was shoved out of the way at the last second before he closed his eyes.

When he shot his eyes open a mere moment later, Steve frantically looked next to him to find Tony breathing heavily, the suit cut open from a scythe thrust upon the stomach of Tony, a place in which Steve knew was to be fatal from his days of war. Tony’s breaths continued to shallow, and a tear rolled down his cheek, a cheek that somehow managed to still look so pure, so untouched by the hardships of life, because even in his death, to Steve, Tony Stark was the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes upon.

Steve grasped Tony’s hand laying on the ground, searching for a pulse frantically, almost as a reflex, but also noting the draining strength in Tony’s hand, and thus, the rest of him.

“I love you, Steve.” Tony croaked from where he laid on the ground, “I’ve always loved you - just, I guess we really could never work, could we? Too much has happened, too much hurt, and Steve, we can’t ever trust each other.”

“Tony. Please I- I'm so sorry for everything. I’m so in love with you.” Steve cups Tony’s cheek, flinching at the papery white feel of his skin, reminding Steve, yet again, that they didn’t have time, didn’t have any time until everything fell apart.

“Steve. We can’t work together. We would have driven each other insane, and without trust, I don’t think our love could have been enough to save us.” Tony smiled, closing his eyes.

“We’re okay Tony. Please just stay. With us, with me. Please, Tony.” Steve’s sobs turned desperate, as he sat there, begging the universe for just one more chance in which maybe, just maybe, the two of them could be happy together.

“See you in another universe, my love,” Tony whispered, before the light drained from his eyes, his hand falling slack against the ground, and Steve stumbled backward on his hands, staring at Tony, at his _body_ , uncomprehendingly.

And when Steve finally tore his gaze from Tony, his eyes fell upon his mangled leg, the blood continuing to drip on the brown earth, soaking into the dirt, sweat, and tears.

Steve’s hand dropped too, his head hitting the ground with astounding finality, a finality that the two of them would be together after all, in death. In another universe, somewhere else, this could have been avoided. Instead, Steve and Tony might have trusted each other, gotten married, had kids, or perhaps, just learned how to be happy together. But here, in this universe, two people laid there wrapped up in each other, two bodies, side by side, perhaps torn apart in life, but together in death. And perhaps most strikingly, for two people who had carried a lifetime of pain on their shoulder, in their final rest, they were finally at peace.

Because sometimes it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to wish that things could be together because they never could have had the chance in the beginning. Two people loved each other, but it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. Steve and Tony could have had forever. And maybe the did, somewhere else. But not here, never here.

 _In the end, when the Avengers won, two people were_ **_lost_ ** _. One was_ **_life_ ** _. One was_ **_death_ ** _. But death and life are attached by the hip,_ **_neither can exist without one another_ ** _, revolving around each other like moons and planets, perhaps never quite touching, but always caught in each other’s orbits._ **_Death infected both of them_ ** _, an outside death which grew upon their hearts, and in the end, there were two people. Both were_ **_death_ ** _._

**Author's Note:**

> [yell at me on tumblr](https://stxvetony.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> [cross posted on tumblr](https://stxvetony.tumblr.com/post/183501981641/please-dont-leave-me-stevetony)


End file.
